Escape To The Clans
by xoxTigerlilyxox
Summary: As the title says really. A pair of kittypets run away from their twoleg homes and face many troubles on the way and meet other cats before becoming rogues by the lake. This is set in between Omen of the Stars and A Vision of Shadows. Read, review, favourite and follow. Xx
1. Chapter 1

The orange sun crept over the top of the twoleg's dens as Ginger stretched, balancing on the top of the wall that bordered Fluff's territory. "Fluff!" she yowled, "You're late!"

Fluff squashed herself through the tiny door that the twoleg's had installed for her. "I'm sorry, the twoleg kit wanted to _brush_ me. Ugh she got it all wrong!" she complained. She started to wash her pelt vigorously whilst Ginger watched, her green eyes twinkling with amusement.

"This is why we're going on our adventure," Ginger mewed, "No stupid twoleg's for a few sunups, plus we can hunt for our own fresh-kill!"

Fluff purred, "Mmm, fresh-kill. Wait, where are we going again?"

"To the farm with all those mice running around." Ginger licked her lips.

"Are there dogs?" Asked Fluff suspiciously.

"If there are I'll fight them off!" Ginger meowed, sliding out her razor-sharp claws.

"You mean _we'll_ fight them off." Mewed Fluff, nimbly leaping up onto the wall.

"You'll fight what off?" A lithe black and white tom leapt silently up onto the wall, from the garden behind Fluff's, his yellow eyes flashing with curiosity.

"Go away Charlie, it's none of your business." Hissed Fluff, her fur standing on end.

"Yeah, get out of our territory!" growled Ginger, sliding out her claws once again.

"What did I ever do?" Asked Charlie, feigning innocence.

"You told our friend Stripe that we took her kits, and made her turn against us. Oh, and you have gone out of your way to annoy us for moons." Snarled Fluff, showing her teeth.

"Well, somecat took them! Why else would they all disappear at the age of two moons, when they still need their mother's protection?" Charlie hissed.

"Maybe they were trying to get away from you!" Yowled Ginger.

Charlie through himself on top of Ginger and started pummelling her belly with his claws. Fluff yowled in anger and knocked Charlie's legs out from underneath him, before clamping down hard on his tail with her teeth. Charlie let out a wail and swiped his claws across Ginger's nose who then kicked out at him with her back legs, throwing the tom off of the wall. He scrambled to his paws and fled through a hole in the fence and into his territory.

Ginger and Fluff let out a triumphant yowl in unison, and started to lick their wounds. Fluff just had only lost a few tufts of her thick white fur but Ginger's nose was dripping with blood and her belly was laced with shallow cuts.

"Are you okay, Ginger?" Fluff asked her friend, her blue eyes wide with concern.

"I'm fine, just a few scratches." Ginger replied, wincing as she jumped off the wall and into her territory with Fluff close behind. "I hate that interfering tom-cat!" Ginger mewed.

"So do I," Fluff sighed, "Why do you think the mange-pelt is always poking his nose in other cats' business?"

"Because he has none of his own." Meowed Ginger, lying down in the shade of a bush.

"Wait here, I'll bring you some water." Mewed Fluff and went to scratch some moss off a tree before disappearing over the wall to soak it in her water puddle in the twoleg den.

"Thank you!" Ginger mewed as her friend reappeared with a wad of dripping moss hanging from her jaws. Fluff set the wad down beside her and Ginger lapped it up, then licked her injured nose with the cool water to soothe it.

"Now we can't go on our adventure." Fluff sighed and lay next to her friend.

"Of course we can!" Ginger meowed.

"But what about your injuries?" Asked Fluff.

"Injuries!" Ginger scoffed, "You mean cut nose and scratched belly? That won't stop me!"

"At least rest until sundown," Fluff reasoned, "Then you'll be stronger to fight off the farm dogs!"

"Fine," Ginger agreed closing her eyes, "But we leave at sundown."

Fluff let out a content sigh before settling down and dozing off next to her friend, her feathery white pelt dancing in the breeze.


	2. Chapter 2

"Right, let's go!" mewed Ginger, springing up onto her orange paws. Fluff groaned in her sleep and rolled over with a huff. Ginger rolled her eyes and went off to hunt. "No more kittypet food for us!" She meowed and stalked into the bushes, returning with a limp squirrel swinging between her jaws.

Fluff was now awake and grooming her unruly pelt. She padded over and began to tuck into the squirrel with her friend.

"I have an idea." Mewed Ginger as she licked her whiskers after finishing off the squirrel.

"What?" Asked Fluff.

"Why don't we leave and never come back to this stupid kittypet life?"

"And live as rogues?" Fluff asked incredulously.

"Yeah, we can look after each other, right?" Mewed Ginger, nudging her friend playfully.

"Sure, but I've only ever been as far as the farm."

"Well we can go there and find somecat to tell us a good place to make our nests." Ginger mewed, her emerald eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Okay, I can't say I'll miss the kittypet life! Plus, no more Charlie!" Fluff mewed as her blue eyes lit up. Ginger's excitement was contagious.

"Shall we go then?" Asked Ginger as she started to pad away from her territory.

"Yep!" Fluff raced on ahead, leaping effortlessly up onto the next wall.

"If we stick to the tops of these territory borders," Ginger mewed as she looked around, "We can see any danger before it can creep up on us."

"Good idea," mewed Fluff, "You're full of them today!"

The two cats padded along the walls and fences in single file, tasting the air for trouble as they went. By now the moon was glowing high up in the sky and the glittering stars provided all the light Ginger and Fluff needed. Eventually, the two she-cats came to a large field and they could see the farm on the horizon. Ginger yawned loudly.

"Shall we sleep in those bushes at the edge of the field and travel to the farm in the morning?" Suggested Fluff, pointing at the edge of the field with her feathery tail.

"Okay." Ginger mewed and the pair padded over to the bushes before curling up together and falling straight into a deep sleep.

"Wake up, sleepy head!" Meowed Ginger, prodding Fluff with an orange paw.

"I'm up, I'm up!" Mewed Fluff as she reluctantly climbed onto her paws and shook some leaves out of her pelt. "What's the plan?" She asked as she began to wash herself.

"Well, I don't know about you but I'm starving," Ginger replied as Fluff's stomach rumbled loudly, "And it sounds like you are two!" She mewed with amusement.

"Let's hunt!" Fluff meowed, stalking off, deeper into the bushes.

"Wait for me!" Yowled Ginger, as she began to follow at a brisk pace.

Fluff was crouching in the clearing, her blue eyes locked on a mouse that was gorging on some berries. Ginger mimicked her stance and waited for her friend to make her kill. Fluff crept closer and closer before quickly pouncing onto her prey and delivering the killing bite.

"Well done!" Purred Ginger.

"Thanks." Fluff replied, picking up the mouse by its tail.

"Now I'll catch something." Ginger mewed, opening her mouth the taste the air for prey-scent.

"I smell shrew!" She announced, padding towards the source of the scent. She spotted the creature scuffling about at the roots of a tree. Instinctively, she dropped into the hunter's stance and crept up on the shrew. She stepped on a dry leaf, and the shrew started to run, but wasn't fast enough. With a bounding leap, she pinned it down with her front paws and killed it with a yowl of success.

"Yay!" Meowed Fluff. "Now we can eat!"

Ginger picked up her shrew and the two cats padded back to where they had slept the night before. They then settled down and quickly devoured their fresh-kill.

" _Much_ better than kittypet food!" Purred Fluff as she swallowed the last of her mouse and licked her lips.

"Mmm." Mumbled Ginger, still chewing her shrew.

When Ginger had finished and they had both groomed their pelts in a patch of sunlight, they decided what to do next.

"Well we're full and rested so let's just go, the sooner we get to that cosy barn the better!" Mewed Ginger.

"Definitely!" Fluff agreed, "But shall we go around the field and continue travelling on top of that wall," she mewed, nodding towards a stone wall that ran along the edge of the field, "Or just run straight across the field?"

"Let's stick to the wall," Ginger decided, "That way, no dogs can chase us."

"That's what I was thinking." Fluff meowed.

"Great! Let's go!" Ginger raced across the field towards the wall, taking Fluff by surprise.

"Wait!" She yowled, her fluffy pelt billowing in the wind as she ran to catch up with her friend.


	3. Chapter 3

Ginger and Fluff padded along the wall, keeping their eyes peeled for danger. The sun was high in the blue sky; good weather for the start of leaf-fall.

"I can't wait to taste those mice!" Purred Fluff as she trotted behind her friend.

"Me neither!" Ginger agreed and the cats fell silent once again as they focused on their balance.

Suddenly, a huge monster appeared, roaring along the wall far ahead as it ate up the field. "What do we do?" Yowled Fluff above the noise.

"Surely it will stay in the field, it won't bother us." Ginger yowled back, keeping her green eyes determinedly fixed on her paws, ignoring the monster. Fluff, however, froze in fear, staring at the monster with wide blue eyes, her fur standing on end.

"Fluff, it's okay," Mewed Ginger, trying to comfort her friend, "If we keep going and just try to ignore it, it will pass more quickly."

Fluff was too frightened to respond and just stayed frozen to the spot, her claws unsheathed, trying desperately to dig into the stone so she could keep her balance. Ginger knew they couldn't carry on.

"Right, jump down to the other side of the wall and into those bushes," she mewed, pointing with her fiery tail at the dense woods on the other side of the wall, "It won't be able to get us there." The monster was approaching fast and Fluff was starting to lose her balance.

"Right!" Ginger huffed, and shoved her friend off the wall and into the woods, away from the monster as it whizzed past. She watched it go before jumping down to check on Fluff.

"You were like a scared kit!" She meowed to her friend, before realising that she was still in shock and softening her voice. "We're safe now." She mewed, brushing her tail comfortingly over her friend's shaking body. "It was never going to get us anyway."

"I'm s-sorry," Mewed Fluff, "L-let's carry on."

"It's okay!" Meowed Ginger, nudging her friend affectionately, "Why don't we hunt? This place stinks of prey!"

"Okay!" Meowed Fluff, brightening at the thought of fresh-kill.

The two cats disappeared into the bushes and returned shortly after with their prey. Fluff had caught a black bird and Ginger a squirrel.

"That was easy!" Fluff mewed before tucking into her fresh-kill.

When they had finished, the pair leaped back up onto the wall, their spirits raised by full bellies. The wall soon came to the end and the cats jumped down into the farm. "Now we just need to find the barn." Meowed Ginger. They skirted the farm, working their way inwards whilst searching for the barn.

"Is this it? It looks familiar." Meowed Fluff nodding towards a large wooden structure with a thatched roof. Ginger crept cautiously closer to the building and tasted the air. Her green eyes lit up with excitement.

"I think I remember it, yes! It definitely smells of mice." Ginger answered enthusiastically.

The cats padded around the barn together, looking for the hole they had used to enter it in the past.

"Here!" Meowed Ginger as she spotted the opening. Fluff trotted excitedly towards her.

"This is the start of our new lives!" She mewed.

Ginger purred and entered the barn with Fluff in tow as the sun started to set, turning the sky pink and purple.

The barn was warm, with hay and straw everywhere. The scent of mice flooded the cats' nostrils.

"How about we catch a mouse and go to sleep?" Fluff yawned.

"Sure." Ginger replied, pouncing onto an unsuspecting mouse. "Look how fat this is!" She exclaimed as she held up the creature by its tail.

"Wow!" Fluff gazed in awe at the prey, "We'll never go hungry here!"

Fluff quickly caught her own mouse and the two cats devoured them, mumbling to each other about how good they tasted as they ate.

They fell asleep as the sun was replaced by the moon and the stars watched over them.


	4. Chapter 4

Ginger roused and groggily opened her eyes. She jumped in shock as she spotted a grey tabby tom watching her with his pale blue eyes, from across the barn.

"Who are you?" She demanded, hissing and sliding out her claws defensively.

"I come in peace," Mewed the tom amusedly, blinking submissively at Ginger with his kind eyes. "My name is Benny, I live here but you're very welcome to stay as long as you like. There are plenty of mice after all!"

"Where's Fluff?" Ginger asked suspiciously, looking around for her friend.

"I met your friend a little earlier, she went out to drink some water. I expect she'll be back soon." Benny replied.

"Thank you," Ginger meowed, still suspicious of the tom cat, "I'm quite thirsty myself, where's the water?" She asked.

"If you walk straight ahead out of the opening that you used to get in, you will come to an oak tree by another building. Turn right and follow the wall. You will then find a black twoleg thing that runs along the building then down. The puddle is below the opening, where it drips." Benny explained helpfully.

"Thanks." Ginger kept an eye on Benny as she left and followed his instructions.

She found the puddle where he said it would be and next to it, Fluff with her white fur standing on end and her claws unsheathed. Ginger followed Fluff's line of vision and let out a growl.

Charlie had followed them. And he had brought Stripe.

Stripe glared angrily at Fluff and growled when she spotted Ginger. Charlie sat calmly next to her, looking smug.

"Where are my kits?" Stripe hissed at Ginger and Fluff.

"We never even saw your kits!" Fluff retorted, "Charlie made that up to get you back on his side!"

"She was always on my side, mange pelt." Meowed Charlie casually.

"No, she wasn't," Ginger backed up her friend, "After she had her kits you told us that she was scared you would hurt them and wouldn't let you see them."

"She wouldn't let anycat see them," Charlie scoffed, "She's a protective mother."

"But you live in the same twoleg den!" Fluff shot back, "Stripe told us how angry you were when she told you she was to have kits. Was that because you knew you weren't the father?" She sneered.

Charlie yowled in fury and attacked Fluff, pinning her down. Ginger was barred from helping her friend by Stripe, who tried to snap at her throat. Then, Benny appeared around the corner.

"What's all the commotion about?" He asked. Then he spotted Charlie pinning Fluff to the floor and his pale eyes sparked with rage. He flew at Charlie, throwing him off Fluff and raking his claws down his side, drawing blood. Stripe howled and kicked at Benny who backed away but stood in front of Fluff, defending her. "Don't you _dare_ start fight on my land!" He hissed, uncharacteristically aggressive. "Are you alright?" He asked Fluff softly, she nodded, still shaken.

" _Your_ land?" Growled Charlie, blood still welling from his wounds.

"Yes," Replied Benny, sitting down, his calmness restored, " _These_ cats have my permission to stay," He flicked his stripy tail at Ginger and Fluff, "As they came in peace, seeking shelter. But _you_ cannot stay because you started a fight here which broke the peace. Now, I can either _escort_ you off my land, or _fight_ you off my land. Which would you prefer?"

"How would _you_ fight us _alone_?" Sneered Stripe.

"Would you like me to demonstrate?" Snarled Benny with threat dripping from every word.

"Sure." Charlie hissed, flexing his claws and narrowing his yellow eyes, his ears back.

"You asked for it!" Benny spat.

He launched at Charlie and kicked him in the face, hard. Charlie hissed angrily, temporarily blinded by blood. Benny then rounded on Stripe, knocking her paws out from underneath her and pummelling her belly with sharp claws until she cried out and stopped fighting back. He then turned back to Charlie, leapt on his back and ran his claws down it. When Stripe tried to pull him off he jumped down and swiped at her muzzle whilst Charlie lay panting on the ground. Eventually she let out a yowl of irritation, "Stop, stop! You win, flea pelt. We're leaving."

Stripe helped Charlie to his paws, "We'll be back!" He rasped, before the two cats were engulfed by the bushes.

"Oh, I doubt that!" Benny yowled after them, pride and triumph shining in his pastel blue eyes.

"Thank you for letting me do that alone." He mewed, turning to Fluff and Ginger who sat, gazing at him with admiration in their eyes. They had let him fight his battle solo because that what he was challenged to do, so helping him would only prove Charlie's point: that he couldn't fight off the two cats alone.

That would have made Benny look weak, which no cat wants because then they risk being driven out of their territory. However, they would've joined in if Benny had started to struggle, but he clearly never struggled to win a fight.

"N-no problem." Stuttered Fluff, who was staring at the tom, amazed that he was unscathed. Benny purred and walked over to the puddle to drink some water.

"Wow!" Ginger exclaimed in a whisper to her friend, "Now _that's_ a cat we want on our side!"

Fluff mewed with amusement at the sight of her friend in awe. "I thought you were supposed to be the best fighter." She teased, before licking her scratches.

Ginger hissed with annoyance, "You know I was held off by Stripe!"

"I'm joking!" Fluff mewled, nudging her friend good-naturedly. Ginger purred, swiping playfully at Fluff's muzzle with her claws safely sheathed.

The sun shone high in the sky. The cats' bellies rumbled almost in unison. Benny meowed with hilarity, "Shall we go and eat some mice?" He suggested.

"Yeah!" Meowed Fluff eagerly and raced ahead to get the first pick.

Ginger sighed, she couldn't be bothered to run. She then noticed that Benny was gazing at Fluff as she ran off with something unrecognisable glowing in his eyes.

He caught her looking and became flustered. "Err, shall we go?" He mewed awkwardly. Ginger nodded and they started to trot briskly towards the barn. She noticed that Benny's gaze slid back to her friend again and wondered what he was thinking.


	5. Chapter 5

The three cats had just eaten the mice that they had caught and were lying in a patch of sunlight outside the barn. "This is so much better than being a kittypet." Mewed Fluff with content. Benny's pale blue eyes shone with affection and he purred. Ginger huffed loudly and rolled her eyes, which made Benny look down, embarrassed.

Fluff shot a questioning look at her friend.

"Come on Fluff, let's go and have a drink." Ginger said pointedly, flicking her tail in the general direction of the dripping twoleg thing.

"Okay…" Meowed Fluff confusedly, glancing at Benny questioningly who blinked at her to say he didn't know anything. "Err, shall I come?" He asked, unsure.

"I think we can manage." Mewed Ginger with her nose in the air as she stomped out of the barn.

"What was that about?" Hissed Fluff as she trotted to catch up with her friend.

"What was what about?" Asked Ginger, faking innocence.

"You just stomped out rudely when Benny was trying to be kind!" Fluff yowled, jumping in front of Ginger to force her to stop and look her in the eye. Ginger sighed and sat down.

"Look, I'm sorry for that, I really am but I'm trying to protect you." Ginger replied calmly.

"You think I need protection?" Fluff spat, sliding out her claws.

"That's not what I mean!" Ginger replied defensively.

"Then what _do_ you mean?" Fluff snarled, exasperatedly.

"I think that Benny likes you more than he should." Ginger mewed quickly and quietly, trying to get all the words out at once. She couldn't make eye contact with Fluff; instead she stared at her ginger paws.

"More than he should? Who are you to say how much a cat can like another cat? Do you mean he likes me more than you do or something?" Fluff slid her claws back in and sat down next to her friend, perplexed and bewildered.

"Nobody likes you more than I do," Mewed Ginger, "As a _friend_." She added, trying to prompt Fluff.

"So…?" Asked Fluff.

"I think he's falling in love with you, Fluff." Ginger mewed, finally making eye contact again. Fluff's twilight eyes widened with surprise.

"Really?" She mewed in a whisper.

"Really." Ginger nodded.

"But, but, but…" Fluff stuttered.

"But what?" Asked Ginger, "Did you think no cat would ever love you or something?"

"It's just that I have no idea what to do and I don't know how I can be around him without being awkward now." Fluff meowed. Ginger mrowed with amusement. "Its's not funny!" Fluff mewed, batting her friends muzzle.

"It is a little," Ginger mrowed again, "I still can't believe you didn't notice, he's been gazing at you all the time and he protected you from Charlie and Stripe and he's been really kind to you."

"He's been kind to you too." Fluff huffed.

"Yeah, because I'm your friend, he can't exactly be nasty to me if he wants you to like him. It all adds up." Ginger announced.

"So, what do I do?" Fluff inquired.

"Nothing," Ginger mewed, "Act as if I haven't told you anything. If he asks you what we were talking about, tell him it was kittypet stuff."

"Mhm." Murmured Fluff, distracted.

"Right, let's go and drink some water, I actually am pretty thirsty!" Mewed Ginger.

The pair of cats padded to the puddle that they had visited before and started to lap thirstily at the water as the sun started to set. They then padded back to the barn. Before she went in, Fluff groomed her unruly pelt until it was perfect and Ginger eyed her suspiciously.

Fluff padded over to a mountain of straw and took a massive but nimble leap to get to the top, before settling down. _Why is she showing off?_ Ginger wondered. Then she noticed that Benny was watching her with a steely stare and padded over to her own pile of straw. She stole a glance at the grey tabby tom and saw that he was gazing at Fluff once again, she looked away quickly as Benny turned his head but he had caught her looking, he jumped quietly off his perch among the wooden beams and stalked over to Ginger.

"What were you two mewing about earlier?" He asked questionably.

"Oh, you know, just kittypet stuff." Mewed Ginger, acting casual.

"What kittypet stuff?" Benny narrowed his pastel blue eyes.

"Like, our old home and thoughts about this place in contrast," Ginger mewed calmly as she started to wash her pelt, "Why do you ask?" She asked with wide green eyes.

"Because I thought you were mewing about me," Benny admitted, "And I still think it."

"Why _on Earth_ would we be meowing about _you_?" Ginger sneered, "You may be a handsome tom, Benny, but you're not _all_ that we she-cats talk about you know."

With a flick of her tail, Ginger padded away from Benny and into a dark corner, before settling down to sleep with her orange tail covering her pink nose. Benny narrowed his eyes further but turned away from Ginger and went back to gazing fondly at Fluff.


	6. Chapter 6

Ginger woke up and looked around groggily, her mind still shrouded in sleep. Rays of bright light were piercing through the cracks in the ceiling, making Fluff's feathery white fur glow as she slept. Benny was nowhere to be seen.

Ginger yawned and stretched, before starting to groom scraps of hay out of her pelt. Just as she finished, Fluff's deep blue eyes flickered open and she yawned loudly.

"Hi there, sleepy-head." Ginger mrowed.

"Hey," Fluff responded sleepily as she stretched; then she leapt down onto the barn floor, "Where's Benny?" She asked.

"How should I know?" Ginger mewed, "Probably gone off to catch some stupidly massive piece of fresh-kill to impress you with." She meowed, her leaf-green eyes glinting with amusement.

Fluff rolled her eyes. "Very funny." She mewed, deadpan, and started to groom her tangled white pelt.

"Benny's coming," Ginger mewed a few moments later, "I can hear his pawsteps. I'll bet he'll have a big piece of prey for you, just wait and see."

Fluff rolled her eyes again but her ears tilted towards the entrance as she strained to listen. Sure enough, Benny appeared with a big hare. "I got some fresh-kill for us," he mewed proudly, "It'll make a change from mice." He turned to grin at Fluff and Ginger supressed a mrow of hilarity.

After glaring at her friend, Fluff turned to Benny and politely mewed, "Thank you."

Benny beamed at her and dragged over the hare carcass. "Tuck in." He meowed.

The cats ate until they were full but only got through half of the hare. Benny took it just outside the entrance to bury it.

"What did I tell you?" Ginger mewed in a whisper to her friend.

"The hare was for all of us, not just me." Fluff hissed back as she cleaned her claws.

"Yeah, but you have to admit, it was unnecessarily large," Ginger mrowed, "We didn't even finish it!"

"Oh, just stop it!" Fluff spat in annoyance.

"Okay, okay! Keep your fur on, I was only teasing!" Ginger mewed. _Why is Fluff being so sensitive?_ She wondered.

Benny slithered back through the opening and padded back over to the others.

"So, what do you want to do today?" He asked them.

"Well, we aren't going to stay here forever," Ginger replied, "We want to be wild cats. Do you know anywhere that would be a good place for us to make our nests?"

"Honestly, this is the safest place I know and you're very welcome. Why would you want to move?" Benny asked, his eyes wide.

"Thisisn't _exactly_ how we wanted to be living when we left our kittypet homes," Fluff explained, "We want to be properly wild."

Benny looked at her with hurt burning in his expression. Fluff looked down, embarrassed, "I'm sorry." She mewed.

Benny got himself together. "There's nothing to be sorry for!" He replied, faux cheerfully, "I just thought you would be staying a little longer." Disappointment was written all over his face and his stripy tail drooped.

Fluff smiled sadly at him, Ginger cleared her throat.

"So," she said awkwardly, "Do you know anywhere?" She asked the saddened tom.

"It sounds to me like you want to be clan cats." He sighed.

" _Clan_ cats?" Asked Ginger, perplexed.

"Yes," Benny answered, "There's lake far from here where four groups of wild cats live together. They are said to have come from another forest but were driven out by twolegs a few seasons ago. They live under a noble code that they call 'The Warrior Code' but there is constant tension between the clans and they are always fighting." He explained.

"How do you know all this?" Ginger asked suspiciously.

"I used to live in a forest by the lake myself, but I soon left when the clans arrived because they were hostile towards me and used up all the prey," Benny growled bitterly, "It took me more than a moon to get here."

"Why didn't you just join them?" Fluff asked curiously.

Benny sighed, "Partly because they weren't exactly welcoming but mainly because I've always been a loner and it's what I'm used to," He mewed sadly, "But if you want to join those prey-stealers, feel free! Anyway, I'm going to get some water, I'll bring some soaked moss back for you." With that, Benny turned around and left the barn.

"Well, this is big news!" Ginger meowed excitedly, "I think we should join the clans."

"I'm not sure," Fluff mewed thoughtfully, "They sound pretty unfriendly and I don't think they'll just let us stroll in and join. What if they make us do horrible things before they let us be one of them?"

"I don't think they'll be able to _make us_ do anything," growled Ginger, sliding out her claws, "But Benny did make them sound kind of aggressive, maybe we should find out some more about the clans from some other cats before we decide."

"That's a good idea," Fluff agreed, "But how will we find other cats to talk to?"

"We'll go looking after we've had the water that Benny brings back." Ginger decided, settling down in the straw to wait for the tom.

"Okay!" Fluff meowed, her excitement growing.

The cats talked about what their lives might be like as clan cats as they waited for Benny to return.


	7. Chapter 7

Benny slunk into the barn with dripping moss clamped between his jaws. He gave each of the she-cats a wad of their own and settled down to groom his stripy fur. Ginger and Fluff lapped thirstily at the moss.

"Thank you so much Benny!" Mewed Fluff when she had finished.

"No problem." He meowed back, grinning widely.

Ginger looked pointedly at her friend and rolled her eyes before mewing through gritted teeth, "Yes, thanks Benny." She beckoned to Fluff with her tail so that they could talk in private.

"I think it would be a good idea to go and talk to some cats after sundown." She mewed.

"How come? Why don't we go now?" Fluff replied, her eyes wide and searching.

"Because the sort of cats I want to talk to are cats that will know something about the clans. Kittypets who just want to be curled up in their twoleg nest at night aren't going to know a thing. I want to talk to the kind of kittypets who go out hunting and exploring at night." Ginger said in a low mew, as she noticed Benny watching from across the barn. "Also, Benny won't be as upset about the idea of us, well, _you_ leaving if we go when he's asleep."

Fluff glanced over at Benny and sighed, her tail drooping. "Okay." She mewled.

"What's wrong?" Ginger asked.

"You're right about the kind of cats we need to talk to, but I don't want Benny to be upset if he wakes up and realises that we've gone," mewed Fluff thoughtfully, "I mean, he might think we've gone for good."

"We'll just have to hope that he doesn't wake up then," Snapped Ginger, her tail lashing, "I can't plan my life around a tom-cat I barely know!"

"Okay, but let's be really nice to him whilst we're here." Fluff turned and padded over to sit next to Benny. The pair shared tongues. Ginger eyes them suspiciously with her emerald eyes but said nothing and settled down for a nap. ***

"I don't want you to go." Meowed Benny quietly, as he gazed into Fluff's dark eyes.

"We might not. If we do, you could always come with us and we could be happy together." Fluff replied.

"But I've always lived alone, I can't imagine living in a big group of cats," Benny mewed, "Anyway, your friend doesn't like me." Benny nodded towards Ginger and flicked his tail.

"What makes you say that?" Fluff inquired.

"I don't know. She keeps giving me disgusted looks and I'll bet she tells you to stay away from me. _You_ know I'd never hurt you, but _she_ doesn't see it." Answered Benny.

"If she knew how I truly felt about you and how happy you make me, I'm sure she'd like you." Fluff mewed gently.

"Why haven't you told her?" Benny breathed in her ear.

"I don't know. I will, I promise." Fluff looked up at Benny affectionately and he purred and licked the top of her head.

"Thank you." He mewed.

"Listen, I wasn't meant to tell you but we're going out tonight to talk to some cats and find out about the clans." Meowed Fluff in a hushed voice, glancing at Ginger to check that she was still asleep.

"That's not a good idea." Benny meowed darkly, fear glinting in his pastel blue eyes.

"Why not?" Fluff hissed.

"Because those two cats, Charlie and Stripe, are lying in wait for you. I came across them whilst I was out getting the water." He hissed back.

"You think Ginger and I can't take them on?" Fluff spat, sliding out her needle-sharp claws. Benny looked at her, amused by her confidence.

"I'm sure you could take _those two_ on, but they've joined a small band of rogues and they'll do anything for a good fight," Benny meowed quietly, "You'd be outnumbered."

"Oh no," Meowed Fluff, her eyes wide, "How do I warn Ginger without giving away the fact that I told you?" She asked.

"Tell her I overheard you making your plan to go out and that I wanted to warn you." Benny breathed.

"Okay, thank you. You can always sort things out!" Fluff gazed up at Benny and licked his ear lovingly.

Benny purred, "Get some sleep." He mewed and stroked his tail over her back. Fluff sighed contentedly. She tucked her paws underneath her, closed her eyes, and drifted off into a deep sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Fluff woke with a start as a ginger paw prodded her in the side, "Wake up." Hissed the owner of the paw. Fluff grunted and rolled over to see a pair of green eyes illuminating the darkness. "Let's go!" Ginger persisted.

Fluff sighed and heaved herself up onto her soft white paws, "We can't," she sighed.

"What?" Ginger spat in surprise.

"Benny heard us mewing about how we were going to go out after sundown and warned me not to go-" Fluff said but was cut off by her friend.

"Of course he would! That flea-bitten mange-" Ginger started.

"Let me finish!" Fluff interrupted furiously, her dark blue eyes flashing with anger.

"Sorry." Ginger mumbled.

With a huff, Fluff carried on. "He warned me not to go because Stripe and Charlie have joined a band of rogues and are lying in wait for us."

"Do you believe that?" Ginger mewed quietly.

"What do you mean?" Fluff retorted.

"I mean, are you sure that Benny isn't just making that up to stop you from getting information and wanting to join the clans. He clearly loves you and wants you to stay. I think he'll do whatever it ta-"

"And I love him too okay! I can't take it anymore, it was hurting me, keeping it from you, but I trust him, and I think he just wants to keep me safe, _us_ safe!" Fluff burst out emotionally before collapsing in an embarrassed heap of white fur on the floor.

"I didn't know you loved him too. You should have told me…" Ginger paused and contemplated for a heartbeat, "If you trust him then I will trust him, but we need this information and we can be careful." Ginger mewed gently, crouching down to the same level as her friend.

"Okay, I'm truly sorry I didn't tell you how I felt, but I didn't think that you'd understand." Fluff mewled.

"It's okay, I understand," A look of reflection glazed over Ginger's expression before she got up and helped her friend to her paws, "Let's go, we can come back if we catch a whiff of Stripe or Charlie."

Fluff nodded, still too embarrassed about her confession to meet her friend's eyes. The two cats had become plump from feasting on mice and they had to squeeze through the gap in the barn's wooden wall before they emerged into the chilly night.

"Brr, it's cold." Fluff meowed, shaking out her pelt for warmth as the pair trotted along the side of the barn. The lights from the nearby twoleg place shone bright and the she-cats had to squint as their eyes adjusted. They neared a thunderpath, they would have to cross it to get to the bushes that surrounded the twoleg place. Luckily, it was quiet and there was no vibration to be felt when Ginger placed a paw on its cold surface. "Now!" She yowled, and to two cats raced across and stood panting on the other side.

"Wow, we've become so unfit with all that sitting around!" Meowed Ginger. They rested for a moment before padding through the bushes.

They found themselves in a nicely-kept twoleg garden with a lawn that was cut short. A fat, fluffy tom-cat lay right in the middle, snoring loudly.

"An example of the type of kittypet we won't be talking to." Ginger joked, and Fluff snorted, supressing a mrow of laughter as they moved on. The pair leapt up onto the brick wall and padded silently along it, their ears pricked for any signs of danger.

"I don't smell Charlie or Stripe," Fluff announced, "But I do smell another pair of cats."

She was right, as they rounded a corner in the wall, directly in front of them was a twoleg nest with a very different garden to the one with the snoring tom-cat in it. The grass was almost as tall as an adult cat and a variety of weeds were thriving. Sitting in a flattened patch of grass were a pair of young cats.

One was a big, long-haired pale ginger tom with amber eyes and the other was a sleek black she-cat with yellow eyes. The tom noticed them and nudged his friend, murmuring something in her ear, she spun around, and spotted Ginger and Fluff perched on the wall. She beckoned them over with her silky tail.

Fluff glanced nervously at Ginger who shrugged, leapt off the wall and trotted over to the strange cats. Fluff followed close behind.

"Greetings!" Mewed the black she-cat kindly, "I'm Rosie and this is my mate Max." Max grinned, "Hello." He meowed.

"Hi," Ginger mewed, "I'm Ginger, and this is Fluff." She flicked her tail towards her friend who nodded politely in greeting.

"You're not from around here, are you?" Max asked politely.

"No," Fluff replied, "We left our twolegs to live as wild cats."

"I'm wild," Max replied, "Rosie isn't, I'm trying to convince her to come and live with me in the woods, so we can have kits without the twolegs taking them away."

Rosie rolled her eyes, "I'm telling him that I like my twolegs and they look after me, they would never take away my kits!"

Max dug his claws into the ground with frustration.

Fluff's eyes grew wide with interest, "Do twolegs really take kits away then?" She asked.

"Yes. It happened to my sister's kits." Max responded, a mist of sadness clouding his expression. Rosie laid her tail on his shoulder to comfort him.

"That's interesting because a friend of ours' kits went missing and she said that we must have taken them as she couldn't see any other reason why they would be missing." Ginger mewed.

"Her twolegs must have taken them away then." Max meowed back, his tail lashing.

"Yes, there's no other explanation!" Fluff realised.

The cats sat in silence for a few heartbeats as the thought of innocent kits being taken from their warm nests by heartless twolegs overwhelmed them.

Ginger broke the silence, "We came here looking for cats who might know something about four groups of wild cats that live around a lake, far from here. Have you heard of them?"

Rosie shook her head, but Max nodded and said, "Why yes, they're the four clans. ThunderClan, RiverClan, WindClan and ShadowClan. They're respected by us honourable wild cats but not by the filthy rogues who prowl around here; they want to break up the clans so that they can have the land for themselves. My mother told me that our family is distantly related to ThunderClan but I don't believe it really, we've never been close to them!"

"Do you know what clan life is like?" Fluff asked, her interest growing along with Ginger's.

"I don't know much but I know that they live by a set of strict rules called The Warrior Code and that this code makes them brave, noble and selfless but I don't know much else. My mother told me that they must take fresh-kill back to their clan to feed the weaker cats before they eat themselves. If that's true, then I truly admire them!" Max replied, "Why do you need information about them?" He questioned.

"We're thinking of joining them." Ginger announced proudly, "We really like the ide-" She was cut off as Fluff nudged her and nodded towards a pair of yellow eyes and a pair of amber eyes staring at them from the bushes.


	9. Chapter 9

Max and Rosie jumped as they spotted the lurking cats.

"Rogues!" Spat Max.

"Quick, follow me!" Hissed Rosie, darting off towards the twoleg nest. Without hesitation, Ginger and Fluff sprinted after her, their hearts racing in their chests. They could here yowls and caterwauls coming from behind them as the band of rogues caught up.

"We're going to get you, mange-pelts!" Charlie's voice rang out in the night. Fluff and Ginger almost stopped in their tracks when they heard his voice, but their instincts forced them to keep going. They raced down the side of the twoleg nest and out into the front. Their hearts almost leapt out of their throats as they ran across a thunderpath without looking and the lights of a monster grew close.

The lights almost collided with Fluff, who was last to cross, but the monster came to a screeching halt and the twolegs inside stared at the cats in shock. Rosie led them over two fences and into another twoleg garden.

She slowed to a brisk trot and made a beeline for a prickly bush. "We'll have to go in here and hope that they're too scared of the thorns to come in." She decided. There wasn't any time to lose so the four cats forced themselves into the bush, wincing as the thorns met the skin beneath their pelts. When all four cats had made it into the bush, they huddled together in silence, trying not to breathe loudly with exertion.

Only a few heartbeats later, the rogues came crashing into the garden. Stripe's voice rang out, "Let's kill the cats who killed my kits!" She snarled, and the rest of the rogues cheered. Ginger and Fluff stared at each other in terror as Rosie began to tremble in fear. Max breathed something in her ear, she stopped shaking and stared determinedly ahead.

"I can smell them!" Charlie yowled in glee, "They're in this garden and we will find them!" The rogues cheered again, there were four of them and they trampled round the garden, searching for the other four cats who were huddled silently in the bush.

A small but muscular brown tabby tom paused to sniff at their hiding place and they all held their breath. Their scents gave them away. "They're in this holly bush!" The tom announced proudly.

"Well done Scratch!" Stripe yowled, and the rest of the rogues caterwauled, excited for a fight.

"Get them." Ordered Stripe and the rogues began to weave their way into the bush.

"Let's get out of here!" Max yowled and raced out of the bush and away from the rogues, dragging his mate along with him. Ginger and Fluff followed, fear making them run like the wind.

However, the rogues spotted them and surrounded them, driving the four cats into a corner where the twoleg nest met the fence.

"Wait!" Stripe meowed, "We have to kill them _slowly."_ She hissed with a twisted look on her pretty tabby face. Charlie grinned sickeningly, "Very, _very_ slowly." He agreed.

"How do you think you'll manage that flea-bag?" Snarled Ginger bravely.

"Does the ginger mange-pelt want a demonstration?" Charlie meowed, evil dripping from his words. Quickly, he darted forward and grabbed Fluff by her scruff. He put his claws out and yanked the fur off Fluff's throat. She let out a cry of pain. Charlie then pressed the sharp tips of his claws lightly against the skin. "Ready to watch your friend die?" He hissed. Ginger was rooted to the spot, petrified for her friend. Max advanced towards Charlie, but he increased the pressure of his claws on Fluff's throat and blood started to slowly trickle down her chest as she wailed in agony.

Suddenly, a cat yowled in fury from behind the rogues. It was Benny. He flew at Charlie and shoved Fluff into a bush, away from the evil black and white tom. His striped grey pelt bristled, and his eyes flashed dangerously. Whilst the rogues were distracted, Ginger saw her opportunity and leapt onto Stripe, bowling her over. Max attacked Scratch and Rosie took on another rogue whilst Benny defended Fluff from two more. Charlie was nowhere to be seen.

Max bit down hard on Scratch's tail and Scratch ran off into the darkness, whimpering in pain. A tortoiseshell rogue had Rosie pinned down and Max rushed over to help her. When the tortoiseshell realised she was facing two cats she turned and scurried away in fright.

Max went over to help Benny fight of a ginger tabby she-cat and a long furred grey tom whilst Rosie went to help Ginger, who was locked in a ferocious battle with Stripe. "I didn't kill your kits!" Ginger was yowling as she jumped onto Stripe's back and clung on with her claws. Stripe hissed in rage and threw her off, but Rosie jumped on her and she collapsed panting to the ground.

"Stop!" Yowled Stripe and the two other rogues slunk over to her side. They helped her to her feet and she retreated with them, heading towards the woods.

Benny suddenly let out a wail of horror as he turned to check on Fluff and saw Charlie standing over her, blood dripping from his mouth. He had gotten into the bush from behind and silently attacked Fluff whilst Benny was distracted by the other two rogues, "I told you I would kill her!" He spat and sprinted off before Benny could get him.

"Fluff!" Benny wailed, and Ginger raced over, letting out a long, blood-curdling cry as she saw the state of her friend, fur matted and stained pink with blood.

Max strode over and rested his paw on Fluff's flank. "She's alive," He breathed, "But barely."


	10. Chapter 10

Ginger flopped to the ground in exhaustion and let out another dreadful wail. Bright red blood oozed from shallow scratches down her back and legs and dripped from a gash on her belly. Where the cats had been fighting, the ground was splashed with crimson.

Benny was still frozen in shock, his icy eyes wide with fear as he stared at Fluff. Her breathing was worryingly weak, and her dark blue eyes were wide yet blank. "What're we going to do?" He yowled. Max shook his head and looked down, sadness in his amber eyes.

Rosie looked at Ginger, and, realising that she was too upset to be her level-headed self, she composed her own self and took a deep breath. She had to stay focused if Fluff was to have any chance of survival.

"Right." She meowed, and the other cats shifted their eyes to meet hers. "If we want to help Fluff, we need to _do_ something." She announced.

"You're right." Benny sighed, "What do you suggest?"

"I think we should get something to stop the bleeding first," Rosie mewed, eyeing the trickling wound at Fluff's throat, "Then we can pause to think more clearly."

"What could we use for that?" Benny inquired.

"Oh!" Max stood up, "I remember my mother once told me that you should use cobwebs to stop bleeding, it came up when one of my friends was attacked by a fox cub when I was younger. He had a deep gash in his side and I was sent by my mother to find the cobwebs."

Rosie grinned affectionately at her mate's enthusiasm, "Well, you can go and find them again then." She mewed. He rolled his eyes at her but eagerly ran off to the other corner of the twoleg garden to search. "In the meantime, you should probably lick the wound clean." She mewed to Benny, he nodded and got to work, gently lapping at the nasty gash on Fluff's throat. She whimpered in pain, but he soothed her with his voice as he cleaned the wound.

Rosie went over to Ginger and began to help the tabby with her wounds, starting with the deep cut in her stomach. "This is pretty bad!" Rosie exclaimed as she lapped, she hadn't expected the wound to be so deep.

"It's not too bad," Ginger muttered, "Not compared to hers." She weakly flicked her tail in the general direction of her whimpering friend, wincing as she realised it too was scratched and bleeding. She washed these cuts as Rosie washed her scratched ears.

"I'm afraid you've lost the tip of this one." Rosie mewed sympathetically, moving onto Ginger's right ear and realising that the tip had been sliced clean off. "I'm surprised you're not feeling the pain!"

"I am," Ginger grunted as she turned over and began cleaning between her claws, "I just don't show it much." She glanced up at Rosie who smiled sadly.

"You're very brave then." She meowed. Ginger's only reply was another grunt.

Max returned with a thick ball of cobwebs held carefully between his teeth and dropped it next to his mate. Rosie started to divide up the ball. She took some for Ginger and instructed Max to take the rest over to Benny and help him to plaster it onto Fluff's throat.

Dawn broke as Rosie, Max and Benny finished applying the cob webs to the injured cats' wounds. They started to tend to their own, which were less serious. Benny had managed to get out of the battle unscathed once again. Max had some shallow scratches down his back and a bite on his front leg and Rosie had scratches on her face and belly. Fluff and Ginger slept as Max and Rosie cleaned themselves up. Benny stayed on watch, his gaze resting on Fluff most of the time. _Just keep breathing,_ he willed her, _please keep breathing for me._

Fluff did keep breathing, she had become stronger after the bleeding had stopped but still twitched with pain in her sleep. Ginger struggled in hers, her legs moving frantically as if she was still running from the rogues, her breathing fast and heavy.

Around sun-high, Ginger woke up with a start. She got up and stretched, forgetting about the cobwebs and wincing as a piece fell from her raw belly. Benny was the only cat still awake, he had agreed to stay on watch as he was uninjured and wanted to keep an eye on Fluff.

"Hi," He meowed to Ginger, "How are your wounds?"

"Fine." She muttered.

"You're lucky you found these two kittypets," Benny pointed out, "You could've been killed. _Would've_ been killed, without them."

"You think I don't know that?" Ginger hissed, "Do you not realise that guilt is tearing me apart right now? That I'm wishing I was the one that Charlie attacked, rather than my best friend?"

"And you should feel guilty!" Benny growled back, his eyes flashing, "You came out here, risking yours _and_ Fluff's lives just so that you could get some stupid information about the clans so that you can leave and take her away from me!"

"Her life was so much easier before you strolled into it anyway!" Ginger snarled, "You had her confused and doubting me, a cat she has known since she was a kit! We grew up together, you've not even known her a moon!"

"Well clearly she was right to doubt you! She nearly died because of you!" Benny yowled, his voice slicing through the air.

Ginger felt utterly defeated, _he's right,_ she thought, _what kind of a friend am I?_ She limped sadly away from the other cats and slumped down in the long grass with her back to them. _I don't deserve to have Fluff as my friend, and I don't want to be friends with Max and Rosie either, in case I hurt them too._ She lay there, watching the sun rise through the gaps between the green blades.


	11. Chapter 11

"This isn't your fault." Fluff whispered to her friend. It was sun high and she had limped over when she sensed Ginger's sorrow. Together since kits, one cat always knew when something was wrong with the other.

"You could have died!" Ginger hissed, her eyes blazing as she turned to Fluff with an expression of disbelief. _Why is she forgiving me?_ She thought.

Fluff sat down, "Any cat could die at any time." She meowed sincerely, glancing at Ginger's ear which was missing its tip.

"You know what I mean." Ginger mewed sadly.

"You didn't deliberately put me in danger!" Fluff insisted.

"Benny warned us, and I didn't listen," Ginger looked up and into her friends deep blue eyes, "I'm sorry."

"I know." Fluff mewed gently, before getting back up and limping determinedly over to Benny. Ginger watched him meet her half way and urge her to lie down and rest. He met her gaze and narrowed his pastel eyes with hostility. She looked away, lashing her fiery tail.

Rosie scurried over to Ginger with delicious-smelling fresh kill swinging between her jaws. She dropped it next to her, "You need to eat." She meowed, prodding the orange she-cat with a small black paw. Ginger purred gratefully and began to tuck into her prey. Afterwards, she fell into a sleep filled with yowling rogues and sharp claws and teeth.

When Ginger woke, it was almost sun down. She yawned and stretched. The others were talking in a huddle on the other side of the garden. "Oh, you're awake!" Mewed Fluff cheerfully, "We're just deciding what to do next, we didn't want to disturb you."

Ginger forced a grin and padded slowly over to the group. She could feel Benny's eyes burning into her, but she stopped herself from glaring back. "So what's the plan?" She meowed, trying to mimic her friend's upbeat tone.

"We're going to help you get back to your barn." Mewed Max gently.

"But Fluff hasn't fully recovered!" Ginger protested, twitching one of her ears in surprise.

"I've recovered enough to journey back to the barn," Fluff reasoned, "It's not too far."

"Well, if your sure," Mewed Ginger to her friend before turning to Max and Rosie, "But you've got to come with us, I couldn't live with myself if I left you here with your injuries."

Fluff smiled secretly as she noticed Ginger's true personality returning after a time of isolating herself from her and the others.

"I don't know-" Rosie mewed as Max meowed, "Okay."

He glanced at his mate with his warm amber eyes, "We can come back when we are fully healed." He told her gently.

"Okay," Rosie nodded with determination, "Okay." Something indescribable passed between them and Max purred. The others shifted their front paws awkwardly, until Benny cleared his throat.

"When shall we leave?" He asked.

"At sun up." Mewed Fluff. The rest of the group nodded. They watched the sun set together before dozing off beneath the stars, the moonlight sparkling in their fur.

Fluff woke first and groomed her ragged white pelt until it shone. She noticed how Benny and Ginger were sleeping as far away from each other as possible. _If he's to be my mate, he'd better start getting along with Ginger,_ she thought.

Suddenly, Ginger's green eyes flickered open and she yawned, before grinning at Fluff and padding over half asleep. "I'm really not a wake-up-at-dawn sort of cat," she groaned.

"That's funny," mrowed Fluff, "Because you just woke up, and it's dawn."

"That doesn't mean I'm happy about it." Ginger meowed, rolling her tired eyes playfully.

Max and Rosie woke up and Benny was the only cat left sleeping, a pile of stripy grey in the overgrown grass. "I don't want to wake him, he looks so peaceful." Fluff mewed, gazing fondly at the grey tom.

"It'll be _my_ pleasure then," Ginger growled impatiently, "We need to get going." She stalked over to Benny and prodded him hard in the side. He woke with a start, "Ow!" He complained groggily with a half-hearted swipe at his offender. Ginger mrowed in amusement, "Get up!" She yowled.

"Argh, my ears!" Complained Benny, "Okay, I'm up, I'm up. Just please, _never_ yowl like that again."

"Depends whether you oversleep again." Ginger mrowed, already strutting away.

"She-cats!" Benny hissed to himself and got to his paws with a groan.

"Let's go!" Fluff mewed, her voice flooded with optimism. Ginger was relieved to see that she was barely limping as she trotted off, leading the way. She waited for Benny, Rosie and Max to follow before bringing up the rear, ears instinctively pricked for sounds of danger.

Benny leapt up onto the wall first before helping Fluff up, Max then jumped up and helped Rosie who then helped Ginger. The cats padded carefully but quickly along the wall in single-file until Fluff recognised the twoleg garden that had had the fluffy tom sleeping in it when she and Ginger came looking for cats to talk to about the clans. The wall was lower here, so Fluff jumped down and only a tiny wince gave away the fact that she was injured, although her wounds were clearly visible in her white fur. Ginger could tell that it was hurting Fluff more than she would show so she leapt down from the back of the line and stumbled over to her friend. "Are you okay?" She asked quietly, Benny shooting her a funny look.

"Yes," Fluff meowed a little too sharply, then, "Thank you." She mewed in a softer voice, really meaning it.

Ginger purred, "Come on then!" She mrowed, trotting briskly over to the bushes. The others had jumped off the wall and were following close behind. The group padded through the bushes together and emerged, the thunderpath stretched out in front of them. Monsters were racing across from right to left. Max placed himself furthest to the right and his mate glanced at him nervously, fear in her yellow eyes. She knew that he would be hit first if a monster attacked them as they crossed. "Don't worry." He rumbled, his amber eyes steady.

"No," Ginger stepped up, "This whole situation is my fault, I'll go nearest to the monsters."

"But-" Meowed Fluff and Max simultaneously.

"No buts," Ginger mewed quietly, "I've made up my mind." She padded slowly passed Max and stood to his right. Benny stood on Max's other side, then Fluff, then Rosie.

Ginger approached the thunderpath cautiously and rested one of her fiery paws on its surface. She felt a vibration. "Step back," she warned the others, "There's a monster coming."

A heartbeat after the cats stepped back, a bright red monster appeared, glinting dangerously in the sun as it sped past.

Ginger tested the thunderpath again and this time she felt nothing. She strained to listen as well, and all was quiet. "Run!" She yowled.

The cats scampered across, Benny lagging slightly behind with Fluff. Fortunately, they all made it safely to the other side without the appearance of a monster.

After pausing to catch their breaths, the group pressed on, aiming to reach the barn as soon as possible. They climbed the hill to the farm, their muscles relaxing when they reached the relative safety of the familiar setting.

They skirted around the outside and the barn soon came into sight, "Here we are," Fluff announced as they reached the crack in the barn wall, "You can go in through there." She mewed to Max and Rosie, nodding towards it. They went in.

"Home at last!" Benny sighed when all the cats were safely curled up in the barn. He caught a mouse for each of them before curling up himself, beside Fluff, letting the comforting darkness in the barn consume him.


	12. Chapter 12

Fluff's eyes blinked open. She could hear Benny breathing steadily beside her as her eyes adjusted to the gloomy barn. She got to her paws, careful not to wake Benny, and stretched. She then caught a mouse for each of the cats and put them in a neat little pile as she ate hers, waiting for the others to wake.

Max was the first to wake up. Fluff watched him as he gazed drowsily around, seeming to forget where he was for a moment. He noticed her looking at him and purred with a grin. She grinned and flicked her tail towards the mice, inviting him to take one. He bowed his head graciously before picking up two of them, one for himself and one for his mate.

The long-furred ginger tom gently nudged Rosie awake and offered her one of the mice. She thanked him quietly and ate it quickly before falling asleep again, twitching as she dreamt of hunting.

Eventually they were all awake again, "I like the idea of joining the clans." Meowed Max as Rosie flicked her tail anxiously beside him; the cats had gathered in a circle to talk.

"But I've been a rogue all my life." She protested.

"That doesn't mean that things can't change." Max replied, turning away from the centre of the group and to his left to look at her. Rosie just huffed quietly and turned away.

"But we don't know enough about them yet." Ginger pointed out.

"And some of us don't even want to go." Added Fluff, glancing worriedly at Benny who was looking down at his paws.

"Fine," Mewed Ginger, "Let's settle this. Cats who want to join the clans, raise your tails." Ginger raised her own along with Fluff and Max.

"But I don't know yet!" Rosie cried in despair, scared that she would lose her mate, "Would you leave _me_ to go and join some stupid group of _feral cats_ that you don't even _know_?" She spat at him.

"I want you to come with us-" Max started.

"Answer my question! Would you leave me?" Rosie interrupted with a hiss. Fluff and Ginger looked awkwardly at each other, feeling responsible for causing the argument.

"No," Max sighed, "I couldn't! I love you," He purred, "But if you love me, you should understand that I want to have a purpose in life, I want to be a warrior."

"You know that I love you, mange-pelt that you are," Rosie purred playfully, "But we don't know enough about these wild cats to leave everything we know for them. I mean, for all we know they could be a bunch of flea bitten rogues!"

"So, we need to find out more." Ginger decided, the other cats turning to look at her.

"Remember what happened last time you wanted to 'find out more'?" Benny suddenly snarled at Ginger, narrowed eyes flashing, "You nearly got Fluff killed!"

"But _you_ were there to save the day," Ginger meowed sarcastically, "So everything turned out okay."

" _Okay_? You think it's _okay_ that you put the lives of Fluff and two strangers at risk? It's _okay_ that you didn't listen to my warning? That you were so stupid enough as to put your own mouse-brained ideas about fantastical clan cats above the safety of your best and _only_ friend? What kind of cat are you?" Benny roared, teeth bared.

"I'm the kind of cat who wants to have a purpose, like Max. I didn't put any cat in danger on purpose and I will protect cats that I love with my life! You could kill me here and now and I wouldn't care. If long as I suffer instead of somecat innocent, if I prove a point or even make a tiny difference, my life is irrelevant. So, slay me Benny, see what your beloved she-cat thinks of you then when she knows you're just another violent and angry rogue. She'll always love me more than you and you need to accept that!" Ginger yowled, hackles raised.

In a heartbeat, Benny flew at Ginger, but Fluff was quicker. She got in the between them and Benny barrelled into her. He leapt back with his pastel eyes wide when he realised what had happened. "Fluff!" He yowled, racing to her side. Ginger rushed over as well but Benny shoved her out of the way and she collapsed in the straw, lying still.

"I'm fine," Fluff coughed, "I can't believe you would attack Ginger like that! You know how much she means to me!"

"But you clearly mean nothing to her," Benny spat, "She put you in danger just because she didn't want to listen to me!"

"Because she doesn't _trust_ you!" Fluff yowled, "And I don't know if I can anymore."

"But, but, but." Benny stuttered.

"But what?" Hissed Fluff, dark eyes black with anger.

"But I love you, Fluff." Benny breathed, staring down at his paws.

Fluff's expression barely softened, "Say it when you mean it. Say it when you can look me in the eye and I know it's the truth." She spat, stalking over to Ginger who still lay unmoving.


	13. Chapter 13

Ginger turned out to be okay, she had been knocked unconscious by Benny's hard shove, but she came around quickly and had no further injuries. It was sun high and she was sharing tongues with Fluff in a patch of light.

"I'm sorry Fluff," she mewed quietly to her friend, "I know how you feel about him."

"I don't know how you know that," Fluff replied bitterly, "I don't even know myself anymore."

"Don't let this argument ruin everything," Ginger insisted, unsure why she was standing up for the quick-tempered tom, "He clearly cares about you a lot."

"I'll have to think about it. I can't have a mate who won't get along with my best friend."

They continued to talk like they used to when they lived with their twolegs as Max and Rosie shared a mouse, a couple of fox-lengths away. Benny was nowhere to be seen.

"Rosie has agreed to join the clans with us!" Max announced cheerfully later on, as the sun began to set.

"That's great!" Fluff purred, touching noses with the small black she-cat.

"I thought it was time for an adventure," Rosie grinned, "And anyway, my twolegs haven't bothered to come looking for me." She added on a sadder note.

"We must find out some more though." Ginger mewed.

"Well I have something to say about that as well," Max meowed excitedly, "I remembered something else my mother said to me! She said that there are wise rogues between here and the lake. Apparently, they tell kits and travelers amazing tales about the clan cats and the way they live, because they saw them when they made their journey to the lake. So, I thought, if we start the journey, we can get all of the information we need along the way!"

"That's brilliant!" Meowed Ginger, green eyes glowing.

"Yes, it does sound good," Fluff agreed, "But what if we don't come across any of these 'wise rogues'?

"Then we spy on the clans until we know enough." Ginger suggested.

"That sounds fun!" Rosie meowed, and the others nodded, "When do we leave?"

"Well I need to talk to Benny first." Fluff mewed quickly. The other cats glanced at her sympathetically and nodded.

"And also, on second thought, it may not be wise for us to make this journey in the middle of leaf-bare. Prey is scarce, and the nights are cold." Max pointed out with wisdom.

"We can't wait a _whole moon_ to start the journey though!" Fluff protested, "Who knows how long it will actually take? It could be seasons!"

"You're both making good points, but like Fluff I don't want to delay starting the journey," Ginger mewed, "If we don't leave soon we might be stuck here forever!"

"I agree with Ginger," Rosie spoke up, looking steadily at her mate, "We will always have a reason to delay our journey. Soon we will be saying that it is too hot! We must leave soon, as soon as we are prepared, and everyone is ready."

"Thank you, Rosie. Max is right when he says it will be cold; we must make sure to leave enough time before sleeping each night so that we can make warm nests. Finding prey will be less of an issue if we work in a group but whenever we scent it we must take the chance to hunt." Ginger spoke loudly and confidently to all the cats and Fluff realised for the first time how much they'd grown since they left their kittypet lives behind.

The cats went together to drink from the puddle just outside and Fluff was surprised at how icy it was as it touched her muzzle. When she had finished she gazed up at Silverpelt, _why isn't Benny back yet?_ She asked the twinkling stars.

"Don't worry," Ginger mewed, making Fluff jump, "I'm sure he'll be back soon." She instinctively knew what Fluff was worrying about.

"What if he never comes back? What if he's lying injured somewhere?" Fluff wailed, finally releasing the distress that she hadn't realised she had been bottling up inside.

"If he's not back by sun high tomorrow, we'll go and find him." Ginger decided.

Fluff nodded and straightened out her pelt, giving her chest fur a couple of brisk licks in embarrassment. When Ginger wasn't looking she turned back to the stars, _bring him back safe, please!_ She begged, _Or I won't be able to live with myself._


	14. Chapter 14

It was almost sunhigh the next day and Fluff was pacing the barn. "Where _is_ he?" She wailed, worry and fear flooding into her voice.

Ginger watched her with sad green eyes, "I really thought he'd be back." She mewed, looking down at her paws.

"What if he _can't_ come back? What if he's _injured_?" Fluff hissed before flopping down with a sob. Ginger sensed it was best to say nothing.

Rosie and Max had gone out to hunt, they had said they were bored of mice, but Ginger suspected they just needed some alone time. They weren't used to living in a group. _The clans will be_ much _bigger groups…_ Ginger thought worriedly.

"Let's go and look for Benny then." Ginger decided, prodding Fluff with an orange paw.

Fluff nodded and started to lick her ruffled pelt into order. When she had finished, they left the barn together, leaving one after the other through the small gap at the bottom of the wall. Fluff stopped at a puddle to look at her reflection.

"You look _fine_." Ginger reassured her, a hint of amusement in her voice.

Fluff shook her head, "I was just noticing how much we've both changed since we left our twolegs." She mewed, speaking to Ginger's reflection.

"Well, we've grown fat on mice…" Ginger mrowed, looking back at her in the water.

Fluff shook her head with a laugh, "No. I mean, we look older and there's more in our eyes, if you know what I mean."

Ginger paused to gaze into her own eyes and she could see what Fluff meant. Her eyes then wondered to her right ear which now had no tip, she hadn't seen that before, only felt it. She then looked at her friend and noticed a determined expression and a scar across her throat. She had seen it before, but never really let it sink in until this moment. It was like meeting a new cat.

Fluff laughed as she saw realisation light up in Ginger's emerald eyes. Ginger flicked her ears, "Let's run off some of this mouse chub then." She mrowed.

The two cats scouted around the farm. Suddenly, Fluff stopped. "I smell his scent!" She mewed gleefully. Ginger purred as her friend followed the trail. She trotted after the pretty white she-cat.

Fluff let out a trill of happiness as a stripy shape came into view. She raced over to it before sighing in dismay when she got close enough to see that it wasn't Benny, but another tabby cat.

It spotted them and raised its tail in greeting, padding up to meet them. "Hi, I'm Freya." She mewed politely.

"I'm Fluff and this is Ginger." Mewed Fluff with a small bow.

"Nice to meet you," mewed the friendly cat, "Are you lost?" She asked, pale green eyes wide with concern.

"No, but we're looking for our friend," Ginger replied, "Have you seen a grey tabby tom, around? Pale blue eyes? Scars?"

The light brown tabby paused to think, briefly closing her eyes. "I think so…" she mewed, "Light grey with dark grey stripes? Torn ear?"

"Yes, that's him!" Fluff meowed excitedly.

"Did you see where he went?" Asked Ginger.

"Yep, follow me!" Freya trotted off and Fluff and Ginger followed, "He came this way last night, muttering something to himself. Didn't look too good." Freya called over her shoulder.

Ginger looked sideways at Fluff, whose eyes were round with worry, "I'm sure he's okay." She muttered. Fluff sniffed as she nodded and shook out her downy fur.

The three she-cats raced across a small field of long grass and then Freya paused to sniff at the bushes, "This way!" She called to the other two, waving her snow tipped tail.

They continued through the bushes. "Keep going deeper into the bushes," Freya mewed, "I, err, I have to go." And with that, she raced off as if a band of rogues was chasing her. Ginger watched her suspiciously as she left and narrowed her eyes but said nothing.

"I can smell his scent!" Fluff purred, she looked so excited that Ginger had to try hard not to roll her eyes.

Suddenly, the bushes rustled, and a cat spoke up, "Go away." It meowed in a gruff voice.

The she-cats jumped, and Fluff screeched, "What have you done with Benny?"

The cat chuckled, "I couldn't do anything if I wanted to, and why _would_ I want to?"

"Why _wouldn't_ you?" Fluff hissed to the still invisible cat.

"Maybe because he's my brother?" A smoky grey tom emerged from the foliage and glared at her with dark blue eyes.

"Where is he?" Fluff demanded, desperation in her yowl. Ginger stood behind her, orange tail lashing from side to side and claws unsheathed, ready to attack the strange cat if he got any closer.

"He doesn't want to see any _she-cats_ , so I suggest you leave." Benny's brother growled stubbornly.

Ginger sighed, "Look. Um, wait, what's your name?"

"I'm Zack, what's it to you?" The tom turned on her.

"Woah," Ginger stepped back, "Look, Zack, Fluff here really needs to talk to Benny, he knows her. Could you take a moment to look deep, (maybe very deep in your case), into your heart and find the kindness to let her talk to him?"

Zack hissed at the insult, "Look, I'm usually a pretty kind cat, easy-going if you like, but one of you broke my brother's heart and now he's really down, so I don't feel like being Mr. Nice Guy, okay?"

"B-broke his heart?" Fluff whispered.

" _Ah_ , so it was _you_. Funny, you don't look like his type." Zack quipped, wrinkling his nose.

Fluff ignored the dig and stared sadly at the ground, ( _I broke his heart?_ She thought), but Ginger snarled.

"What do you mean she's not his type?" She growled, standing up for her friend.

"I mean, she looks soft. You are soft, right?" Zack replied bluntly, aiming the question at Fluff. She was still staring into space, unhearing.

"Well, _you_ don't seem like _any_ she-cat's type." Ginger sneered.

"How's that?" Zack meowed, raising his eyebrows.

"Well for one, you _think_ you're funny, but you're not. Disappointing." Ginger mewed, mocking his blunt tone.

Zack laughed, "You're a clever one, I'll give you that."

"You don't have to _give me_ anything."

He laughed again as Ginger turned away, about to comfort Fluff. Her green eyes widened. The feathery white she-cat was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey! Where's the softy gone?" Zack yowled.

Ginger glared at him, "I've gotta say, you're a terrible guard." She dodged past him in a heart beat and chased after Fluff's scent.

Zack shook his head in disbelief and followed but his eyes still twinkled with amusement.

"Benny!" Fluff yowled up ahead. The silvery grey tabby stood facing away from her, standing very still. Ginger skidded to a halt beside her friend and Zack raced past, getting between his brother and the two she-cats.

"I think you should go." He mewed quietly, a hint of warning in his mew.

Fluff stepped forward, "I'll _go_ , when I _want_ to go." She growled.

Ginger admired her, as just then in that moment, Fluff was a fully wild cat: ruffled fur, hackles raised, ears back, claws unsheathed and a fire of determination blazing in her expression. Ginger stepped back with a smirk, Fluff had this.

Zack's eyes flicked to Ginger's, "Please." He mewed.

She shrugged and nodded to Fluff. The ex-kittypet flew at Zack, bowling him over and raking his belly with her claws. Benny still didn't turn, but he unsheathed his claws. Ginger felt uneasy as she saw them, sharp tips digging into the mud.

Fluff screeched as Zack bit her tail and Benny turned with tears in his eyes, he ran towards the fight and Ginger started rushing over to help Fluff, before realising that Benny was attacking his brother, not her.

"Stop!" He yowled.

"You told me to keep them away!" Zack protested.

"You could _never_ keep me away from him." Fluff hissed, standing her ground.

Zack shook his head and stalked off, he sat down three fox lengths from Fluff and Benny, Ginger went to sit beside him. Zack turned away from her and she just snorted and started to wash her pelt.

"Why did you leave?" Fluff demanded with a pained expression.

"I told you I loved you, and you shot me down. I thought you hated me." Benny mewed sitting down, he looked lost.

Fluff sighed, "I hated what you did. You hurt my friend."

Benny nodded, his vision blurred, and he swallowed, "I'm sorry." He whispered.

"I don't hate _you_." Fluff mewed, nudging him to make him look at her.

He looked up with a happier expression, "Well that's reassuring." He purred.

She pressed against his side, "Come back to the barn."

He nodded, "I've missed you."

Fluff purred, they would have to speak more later, but for now that was enough. They went over to Ginger and Zack.

"Finally, a cat who can take my brother down a peg." Benny mrowed with a wink, he must've overheard their conversation. Ginger snorted and lashed her fiery tail, getting to her paws.

"Goodbye Zack." Benny meowed.

Zack didn't answer for a moment.

"Can I come with you?" He asked the others after a pause. Benny raised one eyebrow and he explained, "It gets pretty boring around here when you're at that barn." He mumbled, looking at his paws.

Benny looked at Fluff, "Can he come?"

"Uh," mewed Fluff embarrassed about the fight they had had, "Sure."

Zack bowed his head respectfully, "Thank you, and sorry about earlier." Fluff nodded in response to show he was forgiven.

"Oh great." Ginger meowed sarcastically, "He's coming with us."

Zack looked at Fluff with feint innocence and she glared at Ginger, "Be nice." She hissed.

Ginger just sighed loudly and started leading the way home. The four cats padded out of the bushes and across the field. Ginger was in the lead, with Benny and Fluff running side by side behind her and Zack bringing up the rear. They passed the spot where they had met Freya and Ginger paused to sniff around, wanting to find her. "Not a trace." She sighed.

She then turned on Zack, "Your scent must have scared her off!"

Zack simply shrugged, not knowing what Ginger was talking about, "Probably another softy you're talking about." He mewed so only she could hear.

Ginger lashed her tail angrily and carried on until they reached the farm, the sun had almost finished setting.

Max bounded out of the barn, "Where have you been?" He asked, concerned.

"We found Benny." Fluff purred.

"Ah welcome back," Max mewed with relief in his amber eyes, then he noticed Zack, "And who's this?"

"My name is Zack." He answered, dipping his head.

"He's my brother," Benny explained, "He's joining us."

Max padded over to Zack and gave him a quick sniff before nodding with approval, "Welcome to our barn."

Zack purred, "Thank you."

Ginger stifled another snort and raced ahead of the others, wanting to see Rosie. The two she-cats had become good friends. "Hiya!" She mewed.

"Hi!" Mewed Rosie, "We were getting worried about you two."

The others streamed in after Ginger and there was still plenty of space with all six of them inside.

"Hey Rosie, do you know a cat called Freya?" Ginger questioned curiously.

Rosie shook her head and tucked her paws beneath her in the straw.

"I do." Meowed Zack.

Ginger turned to him, "What do you know about her?"

Zack smirked, "So now you want to talk to me, eh?"

"Fine, don't tell me." Ginger stalked off and curled up in the straw, her tail tip twitching.

"I'd better get to sleep too." Fluff yawned.

Benny licked her ear, "You must be tired." He led her to a dip in the straw and the two settled down together. Max joined Rosie in their corner of the barn.

Zack padded over to Ginger and prodded her with a paw, "I know you're not asleep." He hissed. She opened one eye and glared at him.

"Come on, I'll tell you about Freya."

Ginger opened both eyes and kept glaring at him but said nothing as they left the barn.

"Is there a thorn in that straw or something? A sharp stone perhaps?" Meowed Zack.

"No," Ginger growled, "Your presence just irritates me."

"Well at least you'll appreciate it more when I'm _not_ present." Zack shot back.

Ginger lashed her tail, "Just tell me about Freya so I can go back to sleep."

"You never were asleep." Zack pointed out.

"Wow, you're so clever," Ginger mewed deadpan, "About Freya?" She probed.

"I know I am. And about Freya, she used to be a kittypet but her twolegs left so now she's a loner living off farm mice." Zack mewed simply.

"Oh... she must miss them." Ginger mewed, remembering her twolegs for a moment before shaking the memories from her mind.

Zack watched her with narrowed eyes, "Did _you_ use to live with twolegs?"

Ginger nodded, "Fluff and I left ours and came here, we want to join the clans."

"Huh, I always thought Fluff was a kittypet, but I never thought you were."

"I'm _not._ And neither is she."

"Oh right, you _were_."

"I didn't choose where I was born!" Ginger hissed.

"Neither did I!" Zack spat a little too viciously. He backed away, "I'm sorry."

"Do you know anything else about Freya? She's the one who ran off when she caught your scent." Asked Ginger, changing the subject.

"Oh _she's_ the cat you were talking about earlier! Well, I was friends with her sister, but the twolegs took her with them when they left. I guess Freya didn't want to get into a fight with me by accident, since I know her sister."

Ginger's eyes widened, "The twolegs split up Freya and her sister?"

Zack nodded sadly, "I miss Lily."

"Were you mates?" Ginger wondered out loud.

"No!" Zack yelped, "She was a good friend, that's all. She stuck by me like kin when I argued with Benny and he left to go to your barn."

"Why did you argue?"

"I don't think that's your business."

"Fair enough," Ginger sniffed, "I'm going to get some sleep."

Zack sighed as he watched her leave, "I'm sorry." He whispered, too quiet for her to hear.

He watched the sun climb the starry sky until he fell into a restless sleep.


End file.
